Following the defeat in the Guadalcanal campaign, at the beginning of
1943, the Navy Technical Department and The High Command of the Imperial
Japanese Navy strived to increase the defensive potential of all their
warships. Apart from standard refits of the majority of the Imperial
Japanese Navy units, a plan was adopted, which called for reconstruction
of two "Takao" class heavy cruisers into anti-aircraft units. Through a
coincidence only the Maya underwent such conversion. This publication
shows the cruiser in her anti-aircraft configuration and briefly
describes her career.